The Horse reminds us of how the press's treatment of Dubya is increasingly resembling their treatment of Reagan - first, falsely pretending that he was incredibly popular, and the second using that popularity as their reason for laying off him, or being On Bended Knee as the book is titled. His Alzheimer's was also an open secret among the media for years . Contrast that with their treatment of Clinton, who was truly popular - with both his average and top Gallup poll rating exceeding Reagan's.
The invaluable PollKatz gives us this Gallup Poll comparison chart. The interesting thing is how closely Clinton's poll numbers track Reagan's up until about 5 1/2 years in, when Reagan's drop substantially and Clinton's surge. For a good third of his presidency, Reagan's numbers were essentially in the 40s. It really is a sharp contrast the media's portrayal of Reagan as an exceedingly popular president. He wasn't.
